The advent of the digital age has demonstrated that any content or event (including live as performed content) that can be recorded and transformed into “bits” is a valuable, marketable commodity. In the past, major studios, record labels and production companies controlled what live content would be produced for distribution to the public. Except for live or tape-delayed grandiose television/cable productions, certain news coverage and special radio broadcasts, the live experience was limited to ticket holders/audience members.
Now, however, live content is inexpensive to digitally record. Virtually any lay personal can create a quality digital live recording of any event of public or private interest on simple equipment and then upload the recording over a telecommunications network. Such upload will result in free content ownership not only for the recorder, but also for any other interested user. Telecom-connected third parties can then, for example, burn their own CD's on home components or store the content onto a hand held music player. Once the recording is uploaded, then, it is game for others to copy and own it without payment.
The unauthorized digital transmission and retransmission Peer to Peer (“PtoP”) or Business to Business (“BtoB”) of pre-recorded studio titles, albums, and other derivative tie-in merchandise over the Internet since 1998 has virtually crippled the music industry. “Wi-Fi” now enables hook up to the Internet without a wire. Podcasts carried through Wi-Fi or satellite radio may not be far off. Clipcasts (transmissions of content to mobile phones) will shortly follow.
In spite of the spiraling decline in retail CD sales since 1998, the live concert market is surging. Concert ticket prices have skyrocketed. Coincident market penetration of hand-held music players has necessitated a change within the music industry from an album to a singles oriented business model and the proliferation of on-line subscription services. With use of the instant disclosure, it is anticipated that concerts and recording from live events as well as interactive tournaments will be coveted by consumers and subscription services that reach the global audience.
In spite of this, to date, the full recording impulse buying potential of the live concert audience remains untapped. Concert hall shops still only offer an artist's pre-released studio product usually only in CD disc form and not the performance just attended. At the core are the continuing limitations on technology, the huge cost of recording and packaging productions for immediate on site and multi-media delivery, and the monetary and time constraints including for onsite personnel and staff needed for quality mastering and editing. In addition, for more grandiose live productions that feature multiple performers and whole orchestras, there is an impasse among the creative factions as to the proper royalties payable upon release. Musicians' unions and performing rights societies that collect royalties on behalf of composers and publishers contend that a digital encoded recording transmission over any telecommunications network is a separate “performance” triggering additional payments.
For these reasons, a necessary premise of the instant disclosure is that any viable market solution for live recording release must be inextricably associated with full royalty accounting, rights clearance and the equitable allocation of recording revenues among all those involved in production of the live event. The royalty accounting systems revealed in this disclosure do just this and will be independently licensed by the inventor for the management and administration of concert venues around the world.
At the same time, the present invention foresees that heightening anti-terrorism security systems are shortly to be installed by law or electively in public venues—newly constructed and existing—including Olympic sports arenas, international concert halls and airports. DNA fingerprint systems will be enabled to read the iris of an entrant's eye thumb print, etc., upon ingress or egress from and through the instant disclosure, can be simultaneously used at a venue to process audience recording orders separate from ticketing information.
The present invention further anticipates that with the advent of increasing bandwidth, live events, tournaments and performances as they are recorded and packaged will be electronically transmitted to businesses and computer users with increasing speed. This will help raise the market value of the live recording that is expected to surge immediately after the event ends particularly if it is publicized with pre-event ads issued, ordered and placed by the producers.
The instant disclosure is also premised on the fact that ticket holders will demonstrate a high proclivity for impulse buys if recordings are offered for sale immediately after final curtain at the hosting venue itself. In addition, it is anticipated that even greater sales will result if audience members and global non-audience fans can select their respective preferred means of retrieval. The instant disclosure predicts that adoring fans—regardless of geographic location—will always covet a complete repertoire particularly of a unique or special event. And while the CD is on its way out, for established patrons of the classical arts, it is still very much the preferred recording format.
The current trend in the music and entertainment industries is toward online subscription services. Web sites like iTunes, MSN, CNN, Yahoo, Amazon, AOL and Napster now offer content of all kinds—music, films, TV shows, sports replays, news clips and stock quotes for a fixed fee per month. Some of these sites are contracting with telecom companies to effect content delivery to cell phones. The recent institution of podcasts demonstrates that these sites will also offer live events, single titles and other tie-in merchandise like posters, T-shirts and pin-ups if packaging can be expedited and delivery effected BtoB or PtoP. They will also offer interactive gaming, response options and tournaments that are related to a live event.
Just by way of example—what if the global advertising campaign for release of a new “Harry Potter” book or movie was associated with an online tournament or offer? What if the coveted prize was an authenticated J. K. Rowling autographed poster? Further, what if the Indianapolis 500 could be instantaneously virtualized such that both audience members and interested fans from around the globe could steer their own cars along with the pack? In each instance, the global response would be huge. Fans would flock to any one or combination of location-based enabled intelligent terminals or enter from hand-held devices, home computers land and mobile phones thereby maximizing the geographic influence and market power of even a local event.